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NO SLEEP: REST IS A CASUALTY OF WAR, SOLDIERS
FIND -- "The sleep disruption is so intertwined,
it's not
usually the only thing on the table. If you're
well-rested,
you're better able to deal with the other
problems."
Sgt. Rashaun Carpenter rests on his
new Craftmatic bed. (AP photo) |
Story here...
http://www2.journalnow
.com/content/2008/jul/20/no-sleep-rest-is-
a-casualty-of-war-soldiers-find/
Story below:
-------------------------
No Sleep: Rest is a casualty of war, soldiers
find
By Meghan Cooke
THE FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER
FAYETTEVILLE - Sgt. Rashaun Carpenter was on his way home in 2003 to see
the birth of his first child -- a daughter -- when his Chinook was shot
down by insurgents south of Fallujah, causing a fireball to soar through
the helicopter and send it spiraling downward.
When he awoke two weeks later with a traumatic brain injury and a broken
arm and pelvis, it didn't take long before the nightmares began.
But rather than replaying the crash, Carpenter would dream that he was
being killed in myriad ways.
"I'd be set on fire. I'd be shot. I'd be stabbed," said Carpenter, 26, of
Michigan in a slow, but deliberate cadence caused by the brain injury.
Those dreams have subsided, but other nightmares persist, preventing the
now-retired sergeant from getting a good night's rest. The pain in his
back and pelvis doesn't help, either.
 For
many military personnel and veterans, sleep is hard to come by. Whether
they are on the front lines or reliving traumatic memories years after
combat, sleep disorders are a growing part of military life.
Statistics about the number of military personnel with sleep disorders are
difficult to determine because the disorders are often symptoms of other
problems, doctors say.
Lt. Col. Scott Johnson, the chief of the Department of Medicine at Womack
Army Medical Center, said that doctors there have seen a significant
number of people seeking treatment for sleep problems.
Sleep apnea, severe snoring and restless leg syndrome are among some of
the common complaints, he said.
But some soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan are experiencing
what he described as circadian-rhythm disturbance.
People function on a 24-hour cycle known as the circadian rhythm. When
soldiers are required to be alert at times when their bodies are typically
asleep, some develop rhythm disturbances. Similar disturbances are also
seen in civilian shift workers.
Johnson said that soldiers returning from deployment also face the stress
of re-entering a noncombat environment. Whether they experience problems
re-integrating into their families, alcohol abuse or even
post-traumatic-stress disorder, sleep issues might arise.
For Carpenter, returning to a combat-free lifestyle meant facing another
fight -- with PTSD.
At his new Fayetteville apartment earlier this summer, Carpenter lay back
on his new Craftmatic bed, donated to him by the company's CraftmaticCARES
program, which will donate an adjustable bed to a severely wounded veteran
every week this year.
Despite his brain injury, which impairs his memory and slows his speech,
Carpenter easily recalled the helicopter crash that left 15 fellow
soldiers dead. "People still don't know how we survived," said Carpenter,
who served with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery stationed at Fort
Sill in Oklahoma.
He survived, but a new battle began when he started exhibiting signs of
PTSD, including the unrelenting nightmares.
Some nights he gets only one or two hours of sleep. He attends meetings of
PTSD-support groups every week.
Dr. Jack Edinger, a psychologist at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical
Center and a psychiatric professor at Duke University, said that sleep
disturbances are a common symptom in PTSD patients. Recovery can include a
complex array of treatments when PTSD is involved, he said.
In May, the Army released statistics that showed that the number of new
PTSD cases increased by 46.4 percent in 2007 from the previous year,
bringing the number of diagnoses to nearly 40,000 troops since the war
began.
Dr. Mary Fruit, the chief of mental health at the Fayetteville VA Medical
Center, said that sleep disorders are often related to other health
problems, including PTSD.
Some are simply afraid to go to sleep, she said.
"I've had combat veterans say, ‘Bad things happen at night,'" she said.
Doctors often must delve deeper to resolve underlying issues.
"The sleep disruption is so intertwined, it's not usually the only thing
on the table," Fruit said. "If you're well-rested, you're better able to
deal with the other problems.
"The reality is that no one who goes to war is ever the same."
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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